Wrapping machine



E. A. FOLEY WRAPPING MACHINE Aug 11, 1959 7 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed. June 8. 1955 INVENTOR EDWARD A. FOLEY ATTORNEY E. A. FOLEY WRAPPING MACHINE Aug. 11, 1959 7 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 8, 1955 INVENTOR.

EDWARD A. FOLEY z ATTORNEZY E. A. FOLEY WRAPPING MACHINE Aug. 11, 1959 7 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed June 8. 1955 INVENTOR EDWAR D A. FOL EY ATTORN EY 8- 11, 1959 E. A. FOLEY 2,898,720

WRAPPING MACHINE Filed June 8. 1955 7 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR EDWARD A FOLEY BY i. 1

ATTORNEY 1l,' 1959 E. A. FOLEY WRAPPING MACHINE 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed June 8. 1955 INVENTOR EDWARD A. FOLEY ATTORNEY 11, 1959 E. A. FOLEY 2,898,720

WRAPPING MACHINE Filed June 8. 1955 7 Sheets-Sheet 6 EDWARD A FOLEY ATTORNEY Aug. 11, 1959 E. A. FOLEY 2,898,720

WRAPPING MACHINE I Filed June 8. 1955 7 Sheets-Sheet 7 INVENTOR EDWARD A. FOLEY TI'ORNEY United States Patent WRAPPING MACHINE Edward A. Foley, Laurel, Miss., assignor to Masonite Corporation, Laurel, Miss., a corporation of Delaware Application June 8, 1955, Serial No. 514,062

Claims. (Cl. 53--209) The present invention relates to wrapping machines and relates particularly to machines for wrapping articles such as stacks of hardboard sheets, wallboard sheets, plywood sheets, and the like.

The principal object of the invention is the provision of a machine of this character which is simple in construction and eflicient in operation.

Another object of the invention resides in the provision of a mechanical means for conveying relatively large and heavy articles into position for wrapping, carrying out the wrapping operation, and thereafter conveying the wrapped bundles onto carriages for removal from the wrapping area.

The novel features of the invention will be readily understood from the following description which refers particularly to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the novel wrapping machine,

Fig. 2 is a sectional end elevation through 1-1 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a sectional end elevation through 22 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 4 is a sectional end elevation through 3--3 of Fig. i,

Fig. 5 is a sectional end elevation through 1--1 of Fig. 1 illustrating the appearance of the machine immediately prior to its wrapping action,

Fig. 6 is a sectional end elevation illustrating the dotted line portion of Fig. 2,

Fig. 7 is a top plan view of the frame and bed of the novel wrapping machine,

Fig. 8 is atop plan View, partly in section, of the wrap ping table and roller bed of the machine,

Fig. 9 is an enlarged view of one of the sprockets 24 shown in Fig. 7,

Fig. 10 is an enlarged view of the sprocket 28 shown in Fig. 7,

Fig. 11 is an enlarged sectional side elevation of the lifting clevises 22 shown in Fig. 3,

Fig. 12 is an enlarged sectional front elevation of a lug, and

Fig. 13 is an enlarged sectional side elevation through line 1212 of Fig. 12 showing one lug in pushing position and one lug beneath a stack of sheets.

As shown in the drawings, the machine comprises a main frame 10 consisting of a rectangular bed member 12 and vertical corner members 14. A secondary frame 16 is suspended from the main frame 10, as shown in Fig. 3, by means of a series of sprockets 18 and 18' and chains 2d which are, in turn, connected at one end to the clevises 22 attached to the secondary frame 16 and at the other end to the sprockets 24 which are mounted on shaft 26 attached to the main frame 10. At

the center of shaft 26 is mounted a drive sprocket 28, as shown in Fig. 7, which is rotated by means of the hydraulic cylinder 30 acting through a chain connection to sprocket 28.

2,898,720 Patented Aug. 11, 1959 by the attached cam followers 33 and 33 positioned in cam slots 34 and 34 of the secondary frame 16 as shown in Fig. 4. The wrapping table 37 is comprised of the top surfaces 31 of the carriages 32, the plurality of pairs of opposed horizontally positioned rolls 36, and aprons 38 mounted on the beams 40 attached to the main frame 10, all of which together present a planar wrapping surface. The rolls 36 are journaled in bearings mounted in the angle irons 50 and 58' which extend longitudinally through the machine. Suspended from the carriages 32 are paper folding and pressing platens 42 which are vertically free floating. The leading edges of the platens 42 consist of the rolls 44, while the trailing edges are the spools 46 around which are rolled canvas belts 48 which will be described with more particularity hereinafter. The machine is provided with an endless chain conveyor 52, shown in Fig. 13, which is positioned beside the channel 54, shown in Figs. 8 and 12. The chain conveyor 52 carries the lugs 60 which serve to move the articles to be wrapped through the machine. The construction of the lugs 68 comprises one of the novel features of the wrapping machine and will be described more fully hereinafter.

In operation a sheet of wrapping paper, suitably cut to provide neat corner folds, is positioned on a loading table (not shown) located immediately adjacent to the novel wrapping machine. The chain conveyor 52 of the wrapping machine also extends through a channel in the surface of the loading table. A stack of sheets to be wrapped is laid on the paper. The chain conveyor 52 is next actuated, either manually or automatically, and the paper containing the stack of sheets is conveyed into wrapping position on the tabe portion of the wrapping machine. As the paper and stack of sheets move into wrapping position, glue is applied by mechanical means to the right hand edge of the upper surface of the paper (as viewed in Figs. 4, 5, and 6). One particularly suitable apparatus is the glue applying apparatus shown and described in my copending application Serial No. 383,736, filed October 2, 1953, now US. Patent No. 2,767,683.

At this point of the operation, the carriages 32 are in lowered state as shown in Fig. 4. The hydraulic cylinder 30 is now actuated to revolve the drive sprocket 28 through a partial revolution. The motion is translated, through shaft 26, sprockets 24 and chains 20 to elevate carriages 32 to the position shown in Fig. 5. At this point the canvas belts 48, whose leading edges are attached to the aprons 38, underlie the edges of the stack of sheets on the paper. The paper is now in partially bent shape at the edges of the stack of sheets. Next, the hydraulic cylinders 56 are actuated. The motion is translated through the connecting rods 58 to the carriages 32. The carriages 32 move toward each other on the cam followers 33 and 33' positioned in the cam slots 34 and 34. As the movement of the carriages 32 progresses, the canvas belts 48 unwind from the spools 46 and, due to the forward movement of the platens 42, press down the paper in edge overlapped condition. The belts 48 serve to insure that the paper is tightly wrapped around the edges of the bundle. Inasmuch as the right side of the machine, as viewed in Figs. 4 and 5, is wider than the 7 left side, the portion of the paper on this side of the Spaced-apart cantilevered carriages 32 are supported bundle overlaps the left side of the paper. Similarly the right hand carriage 32 and platen 42 travel a comparably greater distance and thus press the glue carrying edge of the paper down firmly. The end portions of the paper are now folded and sealed, either manually or mechanically by separate means.

Thereafter, the hydraulic cylinders 56 are actuated in a reverse direction and the carriages 32 and platens 42 are retracted and the belts 48 are rewound by spring action onto the spools 46. The carriages are then lowered to their original position by reversing the hydraulic cylinder 30, the chain conveyor 52 is actuated, and the wrapped article is ejected from the wrapping machine onto a carriage or other conveyance. At thev same time, another stack of sheets is conveyed onto the table of the wrapping machineand the entire wrapping cycle is then repeated. 7 As hereinbefore stated, one of the novel features of the invention resides in the construction of the lugs 60 and in their operation. As shown in Figs. 12 and 13, the lugs comprise a pusher plate 62 and an attached roll member 64. The lug is pivoted at its center point and the axle 66 is suitably journalled at its ends and connected to the chain conveyor 52. In operation of the wrapping machine, the roll members 64 of the lugs 60 ride in the channel 54. Those lugs which, by chance, happen to lie beneath the stack of sheets to be Wrapped swing forward and downward and thus do not hamper the wrapping operation. The lug closest behind the stack is in its pushing position with its backward movement arrested by the roll member 64 resting in the channel 54. When the chain conveyor is actuated, the lug functions to feed the stack of sheets into wrapping position and, thereafter, to eject the wrapped article from the machine. Thus, the novel pivoted construction of the lugs 60 permits the smooth transfer of stacks of sheets through the various stages of the wrapping operation.

It will be appreciated that the novel wrapping machine may be actuated by manually operated switches or, where it is desired, the operation may be rendered completely automatic by the installation of suitable limit switches. In either case, the novel apparatus serves efiiciently to wrap stacks of hardboard sheets or other similar-1y heavy sheets which are cumbersome to wrap manually. The novel apparatus enables the wrapping of a greatly increased number of articles per day by substantially fewer persons. The apparatus therefore represents a decided advance in the art of wrapping large and unwieldly articles.

As many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention may be made without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to specific embodiments thereof except as defined in the attached claims.

I claim:

1. A wrapping machine for wrapping articles of the class described comprising in combination a pair of paper folding and pressing platen members for successively applying wrappers about the articles with the side portions of each wrapper in overlapped position, said platen members being suspended beneath a pair of spaced apart cantilever supported movable carriages, a wrapping table consisting of a plurality of pairs of opposed horizontally positioned parallel rolls, the members of each pair of rolls being supported in spaced-apart relationship on either side of an endless chain conveyor positioned in a channel running longitudinally through the machine, said conveyor having a plurality of lugs adapted to feed the articles onto the wrapping table one behind the other and spaced apart, and said lugs so pivoted as to permit those positioned beneath the articles to swing forwardly and downwardly out of engagement therewith.

2. A wrapping machine for wrapping articles of the class described comprising in combination a pair of paper folding and pressing platen members for successively applying wrappers about the articles with the side portions of each wrapper in overlapped position, said platen members being suspended beneath a pair of spaced apart cantilever supported carriages adapted to be moved vertically and also movable toward and away from each other in a substantially horizontal plane, the surfaces of said carriages comprising a portion of an article wrapping table, the remainder of said wrapping table consisting of a plurality of pairs of opposed horizontally positioned parallel rolls, the members of each pair of rolls beingsupported in spaced-apart relationship on either side of an endless chain conveyor positioned in a channel running longitudinally through the machine, said conveyor having a plurality of lugs adapted to feed the articles onto the Wrapping table one behind the other and spaced apart, and said lugs so pivoted as to permit those positioned beneath the articles to swing forwardly and downwardly out of engagement therewith.

3. A wrapping machine adapted to convey an article into wrapping position, to wrap the article, and thereafter to convey the wrapped article from the machine comprising in combination a main frame, a wrapping table, a secondary frame, a pair of carriage-supported paper folding and pressing platen members, and an endless articleconveying chain; the main frame consisting essentially of a rectangular horizontally disposed bed provided with vertical corner members, the secondary frame supported by the vertical corner members of the main frame and movable vertically, a pair of platen supporting carriages supported by attached cam followers mounted in laterally extending cam slots in the ends of the secondary frame and movable in a substantially horizontal plane, the wrapping table comprising the top surfaces of the pair of carriages and the surfaces of a plurality of pairs of opposed horizontally positioned parallel rolls, all of the table components presenting a substantially flat wrapping surface in a common plane, the members of each pair of rolls supported in spaced-apart relationship on either side of the article-conveying chain positioned in a longitudinally extending slot provided therefor, the platen members suspended in a vertically free-floating manner from said carriages and adapted to fold the Wrapping material in edge-overlapped manner and to tightly press together the edges thereof, means to elevate and lower the secondary frame and the carriages supported thereby, means to travel said carriages in a horizontal plane toward and away from one another whereby to cause an article to be wrapped, and means to travel said article-conveying chain.

4. A wrapping machine adapted to convey an article into wrapping position, to wrap the article, and thereafter to convey the wrapped article from the machine comprising in combination a main frame, a wrapping table,

a secondary frame, a pair of carriage-supported paperfolding and pressing platen members, and an endless article-conveying chain; the main frame consisting essentially of a rectangular horizontally disposed bed provided with vertical corner members, the wrapping table positioned above the main frame bed and supported by a centrally positioned upright member fixed to said bed, said table comprising a plurality of pairs of opposed horizontally positioned parallel rolls, the members of each pair of rolls being supported in spaced-apart relationship on either side of the article-conveying chain positioned in the longitudinally extending slot provided therefor, a pair of spaced-apart cantilevered carriages positioned at the sides of said table, the surfaces of said carriages and said table lying in a common plane and providing an article and wrapping material support, said cantilevered carriages being supported by attached cam followers mounted in laterally extending cam slots in the ends of the secondary frame and adapted thereby to be travelled in a substantially horizontal plane, the secondary frame supported by the vertical corner members of the main frame and adapted to be moved vertically, the platen members suspended in a vertically freefloating manner from said carriages and adapted to fold the wrapping material in edge-overlapped manner and to tightly press together the edges thereof, means to elevate and lower said secondary frame and the carriages supported thereby, means to travel said carriages in a horizontal plane toward and away from one another tion of a main frame consisting essentially of a rectangular horizontally disposed base provided with vertical corner members, an article supporting table member elevated from said horizontal base and supported thereover by an upright central member, said table extending longitudinally through the length of the apparatus, a cantilevered carriage positioned at either side of said table and adapted to move in a horizontal plane and to be elevated vertically, the upper table-like surfaces of said carriages at their lowermost position being in a plane with the surface of said table, said cantilevered carriages being supported on a secondary frame by means of attached cam followers mounted in laterally extending cam slots in said secondary frame, the secondary frame being suspended from said vertical corner members of the main frame and adapted to move vertically, a paper-folding and pressing platen member suspended in a vertically free-floating manner beneath each of said carriages, said platen members extending the length of the apparatus and having rollerequipped leading edges coextensive with the inner edges of said carriage surfaces, the pressing members being positioned substantially in a plane With the surface of said table when in their elevated position, and a chain conveyor positioned in a longitudinally extending slot in the surface of said table and adapted to travel an article thereover.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,710,689 Bronander et al Apr. 30, 1929 2,018,432 Ackley Oct. 22, 1935 2,050,710 Malocsay Aug. 11, 1936 2,132,455 Bishop Oct. 11, 1938 2,435,768 Biggs Feb. 10, 1948 2,669,342 Neal Feb. 16, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,017,068 France Dec. 1, 1952 

